The Trump administration is broadening its anti-DEI campaign to European companies.
Government officials have reportedly sent letters to companies in France and the European Union that hold U.S. government contracts, warning them to comply with an executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs if they want to keep their contracts.
According to the document, “Department of State contractors must certify that they do not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable anti-discrimination laws and agree that such certification is material for purposes of the government’s payment decision and therefore subject to the False Claims Act.”
The letters, distributed by the American embassies in Paris and across the E.U. also included a questionnaire ordering the companies to certify their compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws. The existence of the letter was first reported Friday by the French business daily Les Echos.
U.S. diplomats in eastern E.U. states and Belgium also sent out the letter, the Financial Times reported.
Aviation and defense groups, consulting providers and infrastructure companies are among the French companies potentially exposed to the administration’s demands.
The move comes around the same time the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has alerted Walt Disney and its ABC unit that it will begin an investigation into the DEI efforts at the media giant.
The French finance ministry expressed concerns about the approach by the U.S. government, saying its values don’t reflect that of France. The development underscores growing tensions between the U.S. and Europe, particularly as the U.S. threatens tariffs on European goods including cars and wine, and challenges European policies, such as the invasion of Ukraine.
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